Old Ways New Beginnings
by elisheva
Summary: With the team shattered with death and separation, Tony and Ziva find their own way to cope.


**AN: As much as I hate it, they are not my characters. Only the ideas and words are mine. I do not owe much at all it seems. Enjoy!**

* * *

Ziva David expelled a breath she didn't realize she was holding and hiked up her backpack as she waited for the door in front of her to open. When it finally did, a disheveled Anthony DiNozzo lifted an eyebrow at her.

"What are you doing here?"

"A good evening to you too, Tony. May I come in?"

He silently moved back and she walked inside, sliding her pack to the floor by the door as she looked around. She noted several boxes containing his collected office supplies from his desk from the afternoon. He watched her look around for a moment. "Ziva, now that you've satisfied your curiosity satisfy mine. What are you doing here?"

She turned to face him then as she squared her shoulders. "I have come to say goodbye."

Tony relaxed some of his defensive stance and reached out to touch her shoulder. "Have you been crying?"

She jerked away and glared at him. "Our world is backwards, Tony. I will admit this has not been the best time recently."

"Upside down," he said, appearing random.

She lifted her dark brows. "What is upside down?"

"Never mind. Want a drink? You look like you could use one."

Ziva nodded then followed him into his kitchen area where a partly used bottle of scotch was sitting on the counter. "On the rocks," she told him as he reached in the cabinet for a high ball glass.

"Coming right up for the lady."

She watched him throw the ice in the glass then pour a generous amount of alcohol in. "You've done this before," she said, slightly amused at his speed.

Tony finally smiled at her. "Wanted to be a bartender back in my younger years."

"Ah." Ziva accepted her drink and took a sip. "To meet girls?"

"To be Tom Cruise. Everybody who saw Cocktail wanted to be a bartender."

She frowned in thought. "I have not heard of that."

Tony led the way back to his couch and sat down, grabbing his drink as he gestured for Ziva to join him. "Tell me you are referring to the occupational choice and not the movie."

⌠Is it so uncommon for me not to know a movie?"

Tony rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I should have known."

They quietly drank for a moment, each in their own thoughts before both blurting out at the same time:

"When are you--?"

"Why haven't you--?"

They stopped and laughed at each other. "Go ahead," Ziva graciously told him as she took a good drink of her scotch.

"When are you leaving to go home?" Tony asked as he played with the condensation on his drink.

"Trying to kick me out already, DiNozzo. I planned to stay here at least another hour."

His grin came easier. "I was referring to Israel."

Ziva scrunched her nose. "This is my home now. Not Israel."

"So, what are you going to do?"

She shrugged as she drained her drink. "I have not heard from my father yet so I am unsure of my employment plans. But I think I shall stay in the states as long as I am able."

Tony stood suddenly and headed towards the kitchen again. He appeared seconds later with the bottle of scotch in his hand, stopping to refill Ziva's glass. "What was your question?"

"Why haven't you started packing your things? You are scheduled to leave on the USS Reagan at 0600."

He slumped back into his cushion and studied the drink intently. "I haven't forgotten my orders."

"Perhaps you've forgotten how to tell time then. I will help if you like."

He still wouldn't look at her. "Thanks but no thanks, Ziva."

She felt the need to argue. "But, Tony, you'll never be ready in time."

He casually took a drink. "And if I don't?"

She leaned forward and touched his hand. "It is your job."

His eyes finally met her, fire burning in them. "See, that's where you're wrong. It stopped being my job the moment I was removed from Gibbs."

She tightened her grip. "What are you planning to do exactly, Tony?"

He showed her the anger wasn't for her by turning his hand over to grip hers. "I plan on walking in there tomorrow to deliver my notice and then use some paid leave I'm owed for the last two weeks. That's as far as I've gotten right now."

Maybe it was the straight scotch but Ziva felt a little lightheaded for a moment. "You mean you aren't leaving?"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, princess, but I'll still be around for a while." He studied her while she sat silently, clinging to his hand. "You look like you're going to kiss me or something, Zee-vah," he teased.

That snapped her back to reality. "Or something, more than likely. Does it seem that the past several months have been a terror?"

Tony drained the rest of his drink and another glassful before answering. "Yep. Going from bad to hell quickly."

"Yes." Ziva leaned her head against the back cushion letting him continue to hold her hand. "I did enjoy our dynamo."

"Dynamics," he easily corrected. "Ziva, I'm sorry. I didn't know--"

She cut him off with gesture from her free hand. "We did not know. We could not have known."

"You knew. I should have listened to your womanly instincts."

Ziva rolled her eyes. "Why start now? And I did not know anymore than you. I am just not able to relax like you."

"Trust me. I'll never relax like that again."

"Don't say that, Tony. You will be yourself in no time."

"Being myself got my friend and colleague killed."

Ziva's temper flared. "She was my friend and colleague too, Tony. You don't get to claim UNO on Jenny."

In his anger he ignored her wrong word. "I know that, David, but it was my actions and thoughts that left her to die alone."

"She was not alone, DiNozzo."

"Maybe not but four against five made for better odds than just two."

"Better odds at one of us dying as well!"

"I would have rather it had been me that died there. Her life was worth a hell of a lot more than mine."

Ziva's reaction was instantaneous as she jerked her hand out of his and slapped his face as hard as she could. Without wanting to see his reaction she jumped up and made a slightly unsteady bee-line towards his front door. She snatched up her pack and left, slamming the door satisfactory behind her.

"Ziva!" Tony called behind her. "Wait!"

She kept walking, causing him to jog after her, finally reaching down to grab her arm and forced her around. Her look at his hand did not give her back her desired freedom.

"Where are you going?" he asked as a small handprint began to appear in a fierce red on his cheek. "We were talking."

She fumed at him. "Our conversation became over when you decided to have a pity potty."

"Uh, I think you mean party."

"No. I mean potty because with all the crap you've been spewing that is what you are in need of. Now, I am leaving. Let me go."

His eyes ran over her angry face, her cheeks flushed with temper and alcohol. "No."

"Let. Me. Go."

"No. You've been drinking and shouldn't be driving."

Ziva twisted her captured arm, forcing Tony to hold tighter. "DiNozzo," she growled. "Don't you dare presume you can ever tell me what to do because you were _formerly_ in my life."

He released her at her harsh words. When she didn't move immediately he opened his mouth. "Come back inside with me, Ziva. I don't want to be alone right now."

She sighed but started walking with him back to his place, handing over her pack for him to carry.

"What's in this?" he asked as he juggled it to check the contents consistency.

She looked at him, giving him a smile as they reached his door. "Gifts."

"For me?" After shutting the front door they sat back on the couch, Ziva choosing to sit beside him to dig through the pack.

"Of course. I came over here thinking I would not see you again. I wanted to give you something to remember me by."

Tony's mouth flipped up in a smirk. "Do one of those gifts include you in my bedroom?"

She raised an eyebrow and her own smirk. "Since you are not truly leaving I suppose you will never know."

He groaned but dropped the subject momentarily as she handed him a stack of DVDs. "Uh, Ziva, you can't call it a gift if you are giving back things I let you borrow."

"But they are some of your favorite movies, yes?"

"Well, yeah."

She pulled out his gifts one at a time to hand them over. "The Shining, Simple Plan, Godfather, Beowulf."

"You are giving me books?"

Ziva beamed at him. "Some of your favorite movies are very good books. This is combining something we both like."

Tony put his arm around her shoulders and brought her in for a one armed hug. "I'll even force myself to read them everntually."

She looked up at him from where she was against his body and was shocked to see his face so close to hers. Swallowing she answered, "Tony, I think you'll find I've picked some that you won't have to struggle to get into."

"Thank you, Ziva."

She brightened. "I have one more thing. Although it might be pointless now." She handed him a small photo album covered in blue. Since his arm was still around her, she held the book while he flipped the pages, revealing pictures of all the team doing various things and even included pictures of Abby, Ducky, Palmer, and Jenny.

Tony didn't linger on any page too long until the last page. "How did you do this?"

"The book? It's actually from Abby as well. She has tons of photos stored on her computer and we picked out ones we thought you might like."

"All because I'm shipping out tomorrow?"

"Yes, and I'm leaving soon as well. I have one at home."

"I hope I'm in it a little more," he said dryly, referring to the fact that he was only in one or two group pictures.

She laughed. "Maybe. And that picture you're on certainly isn't in it."

Tony looked down at the blown up picture of Ziva, head slightly turned, wind lifting her hair. "Hey, I took that picture!"

"Yes. You apparently take many pictures unrelated to the crime scene."

"You looked extremely beautiful that day," he said, honestly.

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "What do you want?"

"Currently? I want to kiss you."

Ziva was startled at his frankness. "No!"

Tony pouted at her. "Come on. Just one kiss."

She laughed. "I don't think so."

"You'd kiss me if you thought I was going to be sailor-boy tomorrow."

"Perhaps. But you aren't going and there's no reason we should kiss."

"Does there have to be a reason?"

She grinned at him. "Poor Tony. I bet you never had to work this hard for one little kiss."

He grinned back. "You're right," he agreed. A second later he had his lips on hers.

Ziva was surprised but that didn't stop her from responding to the gentle kiss he was giving her.

Tony broke the kiss mere seconds later, true to his word, though reluctant until he saw Ziva's eyes telling him she wanted more. "Want to watch a movie?"

"Ok." She moved over to allow him room to get up then she herself got up to pour out the watery ice out of the cups to get some fresh drinks. She didn't allow herself to think but she admitted that it was a kiss worthy of the three year anticipation.

Once she got back in his living room she found Tony already perched on the couch and she was unsure where she should sit but deciding to sit near the middle again to see the television easier, she told herself. He took the cups and filled them back up while she disposed of her shoes to curl up on the couch comfortably.

"In honor of today," he told her, "we are watching Death at a Funeral."

A British comedy, it was darkly humorous and through most of the movie Ziva found she couldn't breath she was laughing so hard. At some point Ziva found herself back against Tony's side but neither of them cared and the movie ended up being a good choice.

It wasn't until the movie ended, though, that Tony realized they had drained the scotch bottle. He got up to use the restroom and found Ziva in the same position he left her on the couch. She looked up at him as he leaned down, arms on the back of the couch on either side. "I don't presume to know your alcohol intake limitations but I do think you should stay here tonight."

She jutted her chin slightly. "Is that what you think?" she asked with twinkling eyes.

He leaned down, stopping just shy of connection. She raised her head to complete the kiss. Parting from her just a little, he told her, "I want you to stay tonight."

"Then I will stay."


End file.
